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In astronomy, an epoch or reference epoch is a moment in time used as a reference point for some time-varying astronomical quantity. It is useful for the celestial coordinates or orbital elements of a celestial body , as they are subject to perturbations and vary with time. [ 1 ]
Coordinate systems in astronomy can specify an object's relative position in three-dimensional space or plot merely by its direction on a celestial sphere, if the object's distance is unknown or trivial. Spherical coordinates, projected on the celestial sphere, are analogous to the geographic coordinate system used on the surface of Earth.
This glossary of astronomy is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to astronomy and cosmology, their sub-disciplines, and related fields. Astronomy is concerned with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth. The field of astronomy features an extensive vocabulary and a ...
In astronomy, an equinox is either of two places on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator. [1] [2] [3] Although there are two such intersections, the equinox associated with the Sun's ascending node is used as the conventional origin of celestial coordinate systems and referred to simply as "the equinox".
The epoch for which M 0 is defined is often determined by convention in a given field or discipline. For example, planetary ephemerides often define M 0 for the epoch J2000, while for earth orbiting objects described by a two-line element set the epoch is specified as a date in the first line. [5]
In astronomy, the ecliptic coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system commonly used for representing the apparent positions, orbits, and pole orientations [1] of Solar System objects. Because most planets (except Mercury ) and many small Solar System bodies have orbits with only slight inclinations to the ecliptic , using it as the ...
The observation techniques are topics of positional astronomy and of astrogeodesy. Ideally, the Cartesian coordinate system (α, δ) refers to an inertial frame of reference. The third coordinate is the star's distance, which is normally used as an attribute of the individual star. The following factors change star positions over time:
Diagram of an orbit. The plane of the orbit is in yellow, the reference plane is in gray, and the reference direction (vernal point) is the arrow in red.Also labeled are the mean anomaly (M) in pink, the true anomaly in red, the argument of periapsis (ω) and periapsis in purple, the longitude of ascending node (Ω) in green, and the inclination (i) in dark green.